


P is for Pineapple

by Jazzie



Series: A to Z of Danny Whump! [16]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 10:32:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11781324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jazzie/pseuds/Jazzie
Summary: A simple Ohana picnic reveals a secret that Danny hadn't shared.





	P is for Pineapple

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for the massive delay in posting the next chapter. My laptop gave up on me and it took me ages to sort it out! It's working now, so if you can keep your fingers crossed it'll continue to, then I can post the rest of the series in time.

Steve pulled up outside Danny’s apartment building and climbed out of his truck.  His feet had barely touched the asphalt when he was met by the whirlwind known as Grace Williams.

“Uncle Steve!” the eight year old threw her arms around his waist and squeezed.

“Hey Gracie,” laughed Steve as he swung his niece up into his arms.

“Monkey, get back here and take your back pack please,” Grace’s father called after her.

“You better do as Danno says,” Steve told her as she rolled her eyes and he lowered her back to the ground.

Skipping back to the door of the apartment, she took the back pack her father was holding out to her before joining Steve at the truck again.  Shaking his head Danny grabbed his own pack and locked up his apartment before walking over to the truck and greeting his partner.

“Morning Steve.”

“Danny, got everything you need?”

“Yes Super SEAL.  I’m a father, I know how to pack my share of a picnic!” retorted Danny.

“Let’s go get Chin and Kono then,” he helped Grace into the back and made sure she was strapped in as Danny climbed into the front passenger seat.

“This was a great idea Uncle Steve!” Grace enthused as they set off.

“It was Danno’s idea,” he reminded her.

Turning slightly in his seat so he could see his daughter, Danny said, “It was my idea for a team picnic with you, but Uncle Steve chose the location for it.”

“You’ll love it Grace.  The plateau looks out over a valley and you can just make out the sea in the distance.  There’s lots of wildlife to see as well.”

“As long as we don’t meet any wild boars,” mumbled Danny.

“I’ll protect ya Danno!” Steve grinned at his partner.

“Oh, I feel so much better now, thanks Super SEAL!”

Any further bickering was cut short when they arrived at Kono’s house to get her and Chin.  Both came out of the door with back packs in hand.  They dropped these in the bed of the truck and climbed in the back next to a still very excited Grace.  She had been practically bouncing off the walls of Rachel and Stan’s mansion when Danny had collected her, along with her back pack full of goodies, that morning.

Grace was getting to spend an extra weekend with her Danno, as well as Uncle Steve, Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono.  They were going into the hills for a picnic today and then tomorrow Auntie Kono had promised that she would take her surfing.  Of course her Danno had huffed and puffed at that but all Grace had needed to do was turn her big brown eyes to him and wobble her bottom lip a little and he caved!

Forty minutes later, which had been filled with Grace’s happy chatter, they reached the end of a single track dirt road; the term road was used loosely in Danny’s mind, since he’d seen wider sidewalks in New Jersey.  Steve parked the truck and got out, stretching as he did.  The others also piled out and everyone grabbed their own packs.

“The area we’re gonna eat at is only about five minutes that way,” Steve pointed at a small path going up a slight incline between some trees, “Once we’ve eaten and rested there’s a trail that we can hike that runs along the ridge.”

The group set off with Steve in the lead, Danny and Grace in the middle with Chin and Kono bringing up the rear.  When they reached the end of the short path they stepped out from the trees on to a flat plateau and even Danny had to admit the view was spectacular.  The valley ran for a few miles below them and opposite were two more peaks and in between those the shimmering of the sea could just be seen in the distance.

“Wow!” Grace said all that needed to be said.

Steve grinned from ear to ear at the reactions of his partner and niece, “Who’s hungry?” he asked, breaking the spell.

“Yeah, come on let’s see what these packs hold,” Kono agreed wholeheartedly.

Danny opened his large pack and removed a blanket which he spread on the ground under the shade of some trees with Grace’s help.  They then all settled on it and emptied the contents of their back packs.  There were various sandwiches, chips, chicken drumsticks and salads, along with various fruits that had been cut up and some cookies that Grace had made with Rachel.  By the time all the food was spread out there actually looked like there was enough to feed a football team.

“Do you think we might have gone over the top?” Kono laughed.

“Nah, with the cool packs we’re using anything we don’t eat can go in the fridge and will be fine for lunch tomorrow,” replied Danny, though he was also grinning at the amount of food.

Each of them also pulled a cold bottle of water from their packs, though Grace had a bottle of freshly squeezed juice that her Mom’s housekeeper had given her before she left.  The next hour passed by with lots of laughter and teasing as the food was devoured by the hungry group.  Once sure they’d had their fill, they packed the bags with the leftovers and stretched out to relax for a while.  They’d decided that once they had rested they would return the packs to the truck and then go for their hike, taking only a bottle of water each.  Steve had left a cool box in the back of the truck and it was filled with bottles that they could use.

Danny sat with his back against a tree, his daughter sprawled next to him, her head in his lap.  The team just listened to the birds and the breeze rustling the leaves on the trees.  Danny wasn’t used to this silence, but being here with his little girl he felt the most relaxed he had been in a long time.

“Danno.”

“Yes Monkey.”

“I need to go.”

“Go?” he looked down at his daughter not realising what she meant until she raised her eyebrow in a perfect imitation of him, “Oh, you mean _go_!”  The ‘duh’ look that he received reminded him strongly of his ex-wife.

“I’ll take her Danny,” volunteered Kono.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I could do with _going_ too!” she grinned at him as he rolled his eyes.

Grace got up from next to her Dad and took hold of Kono’s hand and the pair disappeared off into the tree line.

Danny stretched and yawned, which turned out to be a mistake as one of the small flying insects that had made the area their home flew into his mouth, causing him to spit it back out and start coughing.  His eyes were watering as he tried to fumble for his drink.

Steve had sat up the moment he heard Danny coughing and hurried to his side and grabbed one of the bottles of drink next to his partner, undoing the lid he passed it over and watched as Danny gratefully took a long drink.  As the coughing subsided Danny wiped his eyes and looked at the bottle in his hand.  It wasn’t his, it was Grace’s.  Well that explained why his water tasted like fruit!

“Thanks,” he said to Steve who just raised an eyebrow in question, “I’m fine now,” he assured his hovering partner.  Nodding Steve returned to where he had been sitting before.

Danny rested his head back on the tree and closed his eyes, before long he felt the ominous and all too familiar tingling in his lips as well as itchy skin.  Opening his eyes and looking at his arms he noticed that he had hives starting to show.  _Crap!_

Grace returned and sat down next to Danny noticing him checking his arms, she too saw the red bumps, bumps that she’d only ever seen once before.

“Danno?” she asked softly.

“Grace, did your juice have pineapple in?”

“I’m not sure, I think so.  Kali normally makes it with orange, mango and pineapple,” her eyes widening in realisation of what this could mean.

“Can you get my pen out of the front pocket of my back pack?” he asked her as the itching spread across his chest and the tingling sensation increased.  Danny was pretty sure his tongue was starting to swell as well.

She scurried to the corner of the blanket where all the packs had been left out of the sun and found her father’s.  Opening the zipped up front pocket she retrieved what he’d asked for and returned to his side.  Her hurried movements had drawn the attention of the other three adults.

Danny took the pen from her but knew that his jeans were too thick to be able to effectively administer the epinephrine in the pen, so he quickly undid his pants and pushed them down, now beyond caring that he was practically undressing in front of Kono.  Not even pausing, he plunged the pen into his thigh and then rubbed the area just as he had been shown.

“Danny?” Steve was kneeling next to him and Grace.

“He can’t talk when he has an attack Uncle Steve.  The pen should help.”

“Attack?  Grace what are you talking about?”

“Danno’s allergic to pineapples and he drank some of my juice which had pineapple in it,” her eyes filled with tears at the thought her juice had caused this.

“Not your fault,” Danny reached over and squeezed her hand.

“Anaphylaxis?” Steve asked.

“Yeah,” murmured Danny relieved to feel the itchiness fade and the tingling reduce.

“OK, let’s get you lying down.  Chin, can you bring over my back pack,” the SEAL did what he always did in a crisis, took control.  In no time at all he had his best friend on his back on the blanket with his legs elevated by resting them on Steve’s pack.  He reached for Danny’s wrist and took his pulse which he found to be more rapid and irregular than he’d like.  He kept his fingers there and watched for signs that the epinephrine was working.

Danny felt uncomfortable under the close scrutiny of his friends and daughter but was too lightheaded to really do much about it.  Although the tingling and itching had lessened his tongue still felt swollen, “Don’t think it worked,” his voice was hoarse.

“Are you having problems breathing?” asked Steve, concerned at the fact his partner couldn’t talk properly.

“Some.”

“Chin, we need a medevac.  If you go up to that ridge,” he pointed to their right, “You should be able to get a cell signal.”

“Got it,” Chin ran off in the direction Steve had pointed.

“Is he going to be alright?” Grace asked, scared that the medicine her Dad had taken didn’t seem to be helping as much as it should have.

“He’ll be fine Gracie.  Why don’t you and Kono take the rest of the packs down to my truck so we can drive to the hospital as soon as the medevac arrives,” Steve wanted to suggest something to distract the little girl.  He handed Kono the keys to his truck and she got the message from his look to keep Grace there.

The two gathered the four remaining packs and headed back to the truck.  Once Steve was sure they were out of earshot he turned back to Danny, “How bad?”

“Bad,” the response was more of a wheeze than a word now.

“Do you have another epi pen?”

“No, never needed another,” Danny managed to push the words out.

Chin reappeared back in the clearing, “Medevac will be here in twenty minutes.”

“I don’t think we have that long,” Steve looked up at Chin, “Run to the truck and grab my first aid kit out of the locker,” the older man didn’t question the orders and just took off towards the truck, “Danny, I need you to listen to me, OK?”

Danny’s breathing was becoming more and more laboured as his tongue and now throat continued to swell, he had heard Chin and knew he would be stopping breathing before the medevac could get to them.  He turned frightened pale blue eyes on the man he considered a brother and nodded.

"I want to perform a Cricothyroidotomy," he watched Danny's eyes almost pop out of his head, "I'll make an incision in your neck and put in an airway.  I know that sounds scary but I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it was necessary.  We both know that the medevac is too far out and that you'll stop breathing before it gets here.  CPR won't be any good, because your throat is swelling closed," Steve wasn't pulling any punches, he needed his friend to understand the seriousness of their situation, "I need you to trust me."

"I do," Danny managed to assure Steve, grabbing hold of his hand and squeezing it. 

"I've got no anaesthetic," the SEAL had a top notch kit but even he didn't have anaesthetic drugs or strong pain relief that he could give.

Danny nodded in understanding, no longer able to speak.  Chin entered the clearing again with Steve's first aid kit in hand.  He quickly explained to the older man what he was gong to do.  Danny had to give him credit, he didn't even flinch but then again, it wasn't going to be  _his_ throat that Super SEAL was going to be holding a scalpel to.

Steve unzipped his kit and started to pull out what he'd need, placing it on the blanket next to Danny.  Latex gloves, sterile sponges, scalpel, antiseptic wipes, a hemostat and lastly, an airway tube.  The airway wasn't ideal but it would do in a pinch and once the medevac arrived, they could swap it for the proper tube.

“Chin, I need you to hold Danny’s head still, put your knees either side,” instructed Steve, as he pulled on a pair of gloves and wiped some antiseptic wipes over Danny's neck, before pulling out one of the sterile sponges and laying it on its packaging.  The detective hadn't taken his eyes off his partner since he'd told him what he was going to do but his vision was starting to go dark at the edges from the lack of oxygen.  Part of Danny thought this was probably a blessing, because he didn't want to be conscious when a scalpel was stuck in his neck.

Once Steve was ready he adjusted Danny’s head, so his neck was extended and made sure that Chin had a firm grip, then he looked at his partner, “I’m gonna get you through this,” the man laying prone on the blanket merely blinked slowly in acknowledgement, as Steve knelt to his side and placed his finger on the front of his neck and found the notch in the upper border of the thyroid cartilage.  He felt for the depression below, between the thyroid and the cricoid cartilages to find the cricothyroid membrane.  He knew his anatomy, he’d taken the advanced medical training, but it was one thing to do the theory and another to do it in practice on his brother.  Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Danny needed him calm, he made a vertical incision in the midline.

Chin had a firm hold of Danny’s hands, both to let him know that he was there and to prevent him from grabbing at Steve when he made the cut.  Chin felt his friend’s body and hands tense then they went lax, he exchanged relieved looks with Steve, both men grateful that he’d passed out and wouldn’t have to endure any further pain.

Steve used the sterile sponge to clear away the small amount of blood that had formed, so that he could see what he was doing.  Using the hemostats he spread the wound open as he needed to see the cricothyroid membrane and then made a horizontal incision through it.  Gently he opened the hemostats to keep the incision open and he slid the airway tube into the wound.  Holding his own breath he waited for a moment before hearing the slight hiss of air being pushed out and pulled in through the small hole.

The SEAL knew it wasn’t enough long-term, Danny needed a proper endotracheal tube, which could be directly attached to a flow of oxygen, but it had brought them some precious time.  Steve removed his gloves and pulled an emergency blanket out of the kit and laid it over the still unconscious man.

Chin and Steve had been carefully watching Danny while they waited for the medevac, both were relieved that somehow Kono had managed to keep Grace away.  Danny would have had a fit if his daughter had seen the procedure that Steve had carried out on him.  It was a relief after nearly ten minutes to hear the chopper approaching, Steve stood up and rushed out into the center of the clearing to make sure they were spotted.

The chopper hovered as a woman was lowered with a litter and then it moved off slightly.  The woman jogged over to Steve, “Hi, I’m Jess Donovan.  I hear you’ve got a man suffering with anaphylaxis.”

“Steve McGarrett, yes, that’s right.  I had to perform a Cricothyroidotomy, his throat had swollen shut despite using his epi pen.  I didn’t have the proper tube but we made do with what we had,” he showed Jess over to where Danny was laying.

Quickly Jess assessed her patient, noting the rapid pulse, low blood pressure and O2 sats.  Opening her med kit she pulled out a pen identical to the one Danny had used earlier.  Steve helped her lower his friend’s pants and she injected it into his thigh.  Next she inserted two IV cannulas into the backs of Danny’s hands and immediately connected a bag of saline to each, opening them both wide to try to stabilise his pressure.  Jess then carefully removed the airway tube that Steve had used and replaced it with an endotracheal tube, inflated the cuff to secure it internally and taped the tube to his neck, she then attached a bag to the tube and started squeezing it in the rhythm that Danny should be breathing.  

“Are you coming with us?” she asked Steve.

He glanced at Chin, “You’d better brah, if Danny regains consciousness on the chopper he needs to see a familiar face,” noticing the doubt on his boss’ face he tried to reassure him, “Kono and I will bring Grace straight to the hospital.  Go, Danny needs you."

Nodding Steve finally agreed, “Kono has the keys.  I’ll see you at the hospital,” he, Chin and Jess moved Danny to the litter and then carried it out into the clearing.  A line with a harness was dropped down and Steve strapped himself in without any problems and was lifted into the chopper.  Jess went with Danny next, still squeezing the bag rhythmically.

Chin stood for a moment watching the door to the chopper close and then hurried to pick up Steve’s back pack and the blanket before running to the truck, ushering both Kono and Grace inside so they could get to the hospital

 

-5-0-

 

Danny had remained unconscious throughout the flight to Queens Medical Center, there still hadn't been much improvement in his condition.

When they landed on the helipad they were met by several medical staff that then whisked Danny off to the major trauma room, while Steve once again sat in the waiting area to fill out forms.

Doctor Jensen had been waiting for the medevac chopper ever since they had received the call that a severe case of anaphylaxis was being brought in.  He guessed he shouldn’t have been surprised when Steve McGarrett stepped off the chopper and Danny Williams was the man contained in the litter.

Once they were in the trauma room Danny was immediately hooked up to a ventilator to assist with his breathing and further fluids were being pushed as his blood pressure was still low.  The doctor ordered another dose of epinephrine, hoping that this one would have the desired effect.  The medical team watched for a few minutes and then finally saw the signs they’d been waiting for.  Danny had started to tremble and the heart monitor showed signs of palpitations and his blood pressure had started to climb again.  That might not sound good to the lay person but to the professionals it was a definite step in the right direction.

"Alright, get me 50mg Diphenhydramine IV, 50mg Ranitidine IV and 125mg methylprednisolene IV," Doctor Jensen ordered, "Contact ICU and tell them we need a bed."

A flurry of activity surrounded the unconscious patient, who was blissfully unaware of everything that had happened after Steve had made the first cut into his neck.

An hour later Doctor Jensen had seen his patient settled into the ICU and was now on the hunt for his friends, who the doctor knew would be waiting impatiently for news.  He wasn’t disappointed as he stepped into the waiting area.

"Doctor Jensen," Steve was the first to greet him, as usual.

"Steve, Chin, Kono, Grace," he smiled down at the little girl, whose brown eyes were red rimmed and watery, "Take a seat."

“How’s Danny?” asked Chin.

“He’s doing better.  Danny hasn’t yet regained consciousness but his blood pressure has stabilised and although he’s currently connected to a ventilator, that will only remain the case as long as he’s unconscious.  Once he regains consciousness we’ll be able to assess his ability to breathe on his own.  He has been given more epinephrine, two different antihistamines and a dose of corticosteroids.  I've had him moved to the ICU for monitoring until tomorrow morning and if they need to, they will administer more of these."

“Did the crike do any damage?” Steve asked nervously.

You did that I hear?” Doctor Jensen asked in return, receiving a nod he reassured the other man, “I don’t believe that it did any damage other than the cuts required to perform it, in fact it saved his life.  When he came in his throat was completely swollen closed.”  The doctor was trying to keep his words simple but also trying not to scare the little girl who was currently staring at him, “The short answer to what you all want to know is that Danny is going to be just fine.  As long as there are no more issues overnight, then he’ll be released in the morning but he will need to continue to take the antihistamines orally for a few days and should ensure that he is able to call for medical assistance in the unlikely event of a relapse."

"Can we see him?" Steve asked, Grace clinging to his hand.

"Of course, Akela is expecting you," Doctor Jensen smiled at them.

"Thanks Doc," Steve held out his hand and the two men shook hands, followed by the other two team members, before they disappeared from view to go and visit their friend.

 

-5-0-

 

Danny was still unconscious when Chin and Kono left to take Grace back to Steve’s.  The SEAL had promised his niece that he wouldn’t leave Danno’s side until he woke up and that is exactly what he was doing.

Akela had been in and out all evening checking Danny’s vitals and he had also administered another dose of IV antihistamine and corticosteroid, as well as hanging another bag of fluid.  The nurse assured Steve that his friend was doing just fine.

Of course Steve wouldn’t be convinced of that until Danny was awake and ranting at him for some perceived error.  It had been a really long day and it had started out with such promise too.  Leaning back in his chair he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him.

The first thing that Danny became aware of as he regained consciousness was the constant beep of a heart monitor.  That was OK though, because he knew that meant he was in the hospital and safe.  The more aware he became, the more he started to feel uneasy.  Searching his memory he tried to figure out how he’d landed in hospital, again.  He’d gone out with the team and Grace for a picnic, swallowed an insect, choked, Steve passed him a bottle of drink…  It wasn’t his water, it was Grace’s juice and it contained pineapple!  He’d suffered an allergic reaction.  There was still something he wasn’t remembering.  He moved both his hands and felt the pull of IVs in both, which was a little odd but nothing to worry about he was sure.  He slid his hands further up his body until he caught them on something near his neck.  What was that?  Tentatively he followed the tube, one end led away from his body, the other end… hang on a minute!  It was connected to his throat.  Then he remembered, Steve by his side about to make an incision in his neck, a flash of pain…

Steve woke to the sound of Danny’s heart monitor speeding up.  He shot to his feet and pressed the call button while leaning over and taking his brother’s hands, moving them away from the tube in case he pulled it by mistake, "Danny it's alright, you're in the ICU and that tube is helping with your breathing."

Danny’s eyes flickered open at the sound of his voice and panic filled blue eyes met Steve’s concerned ones.

“Steve?” Akela asked as he hurried into the room.  He’d already been on his way in as the increase in heart rate had registered at the nurses’ station.

“He’s awake and confused,” Steve informed the nurse.

“Danny, come on, calm down.  You can breathe just fine, there’s no need to panic,” Akela also tried to soothe his patient, but it wasn’t working.  He left the room and returned a minute later with a syringe, the contents of which he emptied into Danny’s IV port, “Just a very mild dose of sedative to help him calm down,” he explained to Steve.

A few minutes later Danny’s eyes flickered open again and immediately locked on to Steve, “OK now?” asked the SEAL.

Danny nodded; the panic that had overwhelmed him and made him think he couldn’t possibly breathe through that tiny tube had gone, replaced with a confidence that he was safe because wherever Steve was nothing could happen to him.

“Danny I paged Doctor Jensen, he should be here soon then we’ll try to take you off the ventilator,” the nurse spoke softly to his patient.

“I hear the patient is awake,” Doctor Jensen hurried into the room.

“Yes, he didn’t react too well to the tube in his throat,” Akela informed the doctor.

“Well let’s see what we can do about that,” the doctor checked Danny’s vitals and then gave him a physical examination, checking his throat for swelling, “Akela, turn the ventilator off please,” he watched as his patient continued to breathe normally without any trouble, although there was a drop in his oxygen sats, that was to be expected, “Very good Danny.  We’ll remove the tube and stitch up the wound.”

Akela left to get the necessary equipment as the Doctor fitted a nasal cannula to provide Danny with additional oxygen to bring his sats back up. 

Steve watched, holding Danny’s hand as they gave him a local anaesthetic and stitched the hole that he had created.  At least this time his friend wouldn’t feel anything.  Pain medication was introduced to the IV and Danny drifted back to sleep and Steve wasn’t far behind.

 

-5-0-

 

“Come on Danny, let’s get you inside,” Steve nudged his friend to wake him up.  When Doctor Jensen had agreed to release Danny that morning Steve had called Chin, who had been more than happy to pick them up and bring them home.

They had been warned that Danny would probably be tired for a few days and the antihistamines he’d been prescribed would also cause some drowsiness.  This had been borne out by the fact that no sooner had they settled him into the back of Steve’s truck than he’d fallen fast asleep.  He hadn’t even woken when they’d stopped to fill the prescriptions for the antihistamines, antibiotics and pain medication.

“Huh?” was Danny’s eloquent reply.

Laughing Steve spoke to him again, “We’re home and we need to get you inside.”

“Oh,” Danny swung his legs out of the truck and allowed Steve to support him as he slid out.  Chin joined them and the two men escorted him inside where pillows and a blanket were waiting on the couch for him.

“Danno!” Grace ran to her Dad and wrapped her arms around his waist briefly before letting him go and getting out of the way so that Steve and Chin could get him settled on the couch.  She then pulled the blanket over him, “Are you comfortable?” she asked.

“Yeah Monkey, thanks.”

Grace settled against him on the couch and he wrapped his arms around her.  He wanted nothing more than to talk to her but his body betrayed him and he was too tired, so instead he let his eyes drift shut while still holding the most precious thing in his life in his arms.

Steve, Chin and Kono left the two alone to sleep.  Grace hadn’t slept much the previous night either, anxious about her Dad.  Kono and Chin had both tried to reassure her but usually in Danny’s absence it would be Steve or Rachel that would manage to settle her and neither of them was available this time.

Lunch time soon came around and Steve was volunteered to wake the pair, neither Chin nor Kono wanting to tackle a grumpy Danny who could be like a bear with a sore head if woken from a deep sleep.

“Gracie, Danno, time to get up for lunch,” Steve ran his hand lightly over Grace’s head as she stirred.

“Hey Uncle Steve,” she replied sleepily, reaching her arms up so he could lift her out of Danny’s way.

There was no effort involved for the SEAL in picking the child up, she may be eight but she was petite and easy to lift still, though he knew that wouldn’t last much longer, so he’d enjoy it while he could.  The pair turned their attention back to the still sleeping Danny.

“Hmm, what’s the best way to wake him do you think?” Steve asked, “How about a bucket of ice cold water?”

“Don’t even think about it Super SEAL!” Danny’s eyes opened, blearily looking at his partner, his daughter giggling in his friend’s arms.

“Lunch.  Do you need a hand up?”

“Nah, go on, I need to go to the bathroom, I’ll be out in a minute,” Danny slowly swung his legs round so he was sitting on the couch.  He waited for the change in position to register with his brain and the room to stop its movement before getting to his feet and making his wobbly way to the downstairs bathroom.

“I’m going to wait here for your Dad, go and help Chin and Kono,” suggested Steve as he lowered Grace back to the ground.

The team and Grace enjoyed a quiet lunch.  There had already been too much excitement this weekend, even if it had been the wrong kind.  The plates were cleared away and the afternoon was spent relaxing in front of the TV with Danny crashed out on the couch again.  Dinner was ordered in and further movies dug out to entertain Grace before it was time for her to go to bed.  Steve helped Danny up the stairs so he could tuck his daughter in before they returned down stairs for the much needed talk that the team needed to have.  Everyone had questions and each deserved an honest answer.

Once everyone was comfortable and they all had a drink, though only water for Danny, there was a moment of silence until Steve decided to ask the question that they were all wanting the answer to.

“Allergic to pineapple, huh?  Why didn’t you ever tell us?”

“All this time we thought your hatred of pineapple was ‘cos we like it on pizza!” Kono shook her head in slight disbelief.

“Well that is _one_ reason I hate pineapple.  Honestly!  I only found out I was allergic not long after moving here.  I was with Grace and we had a fruit salad which had pineapple in it.  The next thing I know I’m waking up in hospital and Rachel is trying to calm down Grace who is freaking out!  After that we had to sit her down and explain what had happened, as well as tell her about the special pen I have to carry with me.  That was nearly a year ago, I’ve managed to avoid pineapple since and never really thought to bring it up,” Danny shrugged.

“Considering you’re living on an island where pineapples grow, it really is something you should have shared with us brah,” Chin chastised lightly.

“Well that’s the thing, I can touch a pineapple as long as it’s not been cut open, it’s something in the flesh that sets me off and since I never had any intention of ever eating it again…”

“Still, what would have happened if you were accidentally exposed, like yesterday and Grace hadn’t been with us to explain?” pointed out Steve.

“I would still have been able to tell you where my pen was, you heard me tell Grace.  I just didn’t want to make a big deal of it, you know?”

“Is there anything else you’re allergic to that we should know about?” asked Kono.

“Not that I’m aware of, but then again I wasn’t aware I was allergic to pineapple until I moved to this infested hell-hole!”

“I think you should get one of those medic alert bracelets anyway,” Steve said thoughtfully.

“Nope, no, not gonna happen.”

“Why not?” demanded Chin.

“That’s all I need is some bad guy deciding they want to capture me and torture me, they see the bracelet and immediately I’m being force fed pineapple!”

While thinking that perhaps Danny was being just a tad melodramatic, he did make a fair point, “OK,” Steve conceded, “One of us is mostly with you anyway but I’m going to insist that the whole team carry an epi pen as a precaution, given that one dose this time wasn’t sufficient.”

“Fair enough,” Danny actually thought that was a reasonable suggestion, “Now I have a question.”

“Go on,” prompted Steve.

“A first aid kit with a scalpel?  Really Steven?  Did you steal the kit from the Army?”

“No Danny, I didn’t steal it from the _Navy_!” he put emphasis on the Navy, “If you go on line there are plenty of kits to choose from.  I just happened to choose one with things like scalpels and suture kits.  This one is called the Elite First Aid Tactical Trauma kit.”

“And this?” he pointed to the dressing covering the stitches in his neck, “Had you ever performed one of these before?”

“Er, honestly?  No.  I had done chest tubes but not a crike,” he shrugged uncomfortably.

“OK then.  One more thing…”

“Yes Danny?”

“For the love of all that is holy and in the unlikely event that you have to perform some sort of field surgery on one of us again, but especially me, can you _please_ get a kit with some form of good drugs or anaesthetic in it?!”

“Can’t do it Danno.”

“Can’t do it?”

“Nope, I wouldn’t be allowed to order anything that contained morphine or anything like it.  I’m not a licensed medical professional!”  Steve grinned.

“Oh, well that makes me feel so much better!”

“Was this medical training part of your SEAL training?” Kono asked curiously.

“We did advance first aid but I took an additional course.”

“Of course you did, that’s why you’re Super SEAL!” scoffed Danny, a fact that he had never been so grateful for in all the time he’d known Steve.

“Time for your meds Danny,” Chin pointed out and handed the bottles over before the pair could get into a bickering contest.

“Thanks man,” Danny smiled at him before popping each bottle open and taking the medication.

“When can you come back to work?”

“Doctor Jensen said home for three days, light duties for another few days and then back to normal,” replied Danny, following the sentence up with a wide yawn.

“OK, that’s it, time for bed!” Steve ordered.

“Oh but Dad, I’m not tired yet,” the statement belied by another huge yawn.

“Uh huh, come on, on your feet, or do I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you upstairs?”

“Alright, I’m up, I’m up!” Danny pushed to his feet before turning to Chin and Kono, “Thanks guys.”

“Don’t scare us like that again,” Kono scolded as she pulled him to her for a hug.

“Yeah, I don’t ever want to witness surgeon Steve again,” Chin agreed, joining the hug briefly.

The cousins wished Steve a good night and then left.  The SEAL turned to his friend and offered him assistance to get up the stairs, which Danny gratefully accepted.  Once the detective had used the bathroom and changed for bed, he turned to his best friend.

“I don’t think I ever thanked you for saving my life, so thank you.”“You’re welcome, but don’t take this the wrong way Danno, I hope I never have to do anything like that again,” Steve responded.  He had faced down terrorists and had never been as scared as he was as he had cut into his brother’s neck in an attempt to save his life.  He would never admit it out loud but he wasn’t sure how he got through the procedure.

Danny held open his arms and Steve gave him his goofy grin as he walked into the embrace and the two men, brothers by nothing other than circumstances and closeness, stayed holding on to each other, comforted by the fact that they had each other.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I am not a doctor or in any form of medical profession, I did research heavily though!


End file.
